Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said that the Philippines offered to pay a little higher for COVID-19 vaccines if manufacturers can guarantee its early arrival in the country.
Galvez told Duterte that only 5.1 million doses of the vaccine would arrive in the first quarter.
“That’s why there are negotiations with the British government, China, India, and also with Russia that, if possible, they could deliver more during the first quarter,” Galvez said.
“And we’re negotiating that, even if it becomes a bit more expensive, just as long as there’s early delivery in the second quarter and in the first quarter,” he added.
Galvez however did not name the vaccine manufacturers.
The first batch of vaccines may arrive within this week from the donation made by the Chinese government.
Due to the shortage of supplies for the first and second quarter of the year, the vaccine czar that said that the main rollout for the Covid-19 vaccines would be in the third and fourth quarter.
The Philippines will receive 161 million doses of Covid-19 shots by the end of 2021, Galvez noted. (TDT)
